PANA – the Irish Peace and Neutrality Alliance – has produced a fact sheet outlining the history, and the extent, of the US military involvement at Shannon Airport in Co. Clare.

More than 3 million US troops have passed through Shannon

It is estimated that over 3 million US troops have gone through Shannon Airport since 2002. The exact figure is unknown. As these aircraft have the troop’s personal weapons on board, the flights must be given prior permission to land by the Irish Minister for Transport. Permits must also be given for flights carrying weapons through Irish airspace. The US military account for well over 90% of all flights requesting permits to carry munitions through Irish airspace and airports

The erosion of Irish neutrality is inextricably linked to the daily use of Shannon Airport by the US military for almost two decades.

It is now effectively a forward operating base used to support US operations in the Middle East, with approximately three million US troops and their weapons, regular US Air Force/Navy cargo planes, and an unknown number of CIA extraordinary rendition flights passing through since 2002.

Constitution

Two Articles of the Irish Constitution have been repeatedly and consistently undermined through this misuse of a civilian airport. Despite this, Shannon has provided direct support for ground offensives and bombing campaigns, and has been complicit in the deaths and displacement of millions of people

See the PANA fact sheet here:

PANA website: https://www.pana.ie/